Is that an eating disorder?

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Your best friend hasn't been eating well and been extremely cranky. You confront her but she tells you nothing, but cries. Then, her parents tell you she's not been eating- does she have an eating disorder? "But what has that got to do with her crying?" you wonder.

According to Dr Selena Pinto, a psychologist, depression and eating disorders go hand in hand. "You can never tell what precedes the other, but you'll always find that a depressed person has eating disorders and vice versa," she says. She explains the situation to us.

Body image

People with eating disorders generally have a distorted idea of the ideal body. "These people don't understand how different their bodies are from those of models. They stop eating and when they still don't resemble models they are depressed," explains Dr Pinto. The thought of food controls their lives, as they are constantly fighting hunger - this makes them depressed.

Low self-esteem

Those with low self-esteem are prone to depression and eating disorders. According to Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, a psychologist, their minds are clouded with the thought of how bad they look. "Most of the time, this is just a figment of their imagination. They see flaws and keep blaming themselves so they get depressed and avoid eating," he says.

Lack of nutrition

An eating disorder means your body has to deal with a deficiency of many nutrients. "When you starve your body, it is unable to produce the desired amount of hormones. The production of endorphins, which keeps you feeling happy, decreases and you slip into mild to moderate depression," says Dr Pinto.

Depression centres

Depression attacks some centres of the brain before others. "These are the appetite, sleep and sex centre. Some people tend to eat more, sleep more and have more sex while others will show a decrease in all of this," says Dr Pinto.

Depression can lead you to have an eating disorder. The key to good health is good food and happiness. Have friends around you who will guarantee good mental health. Don't let models and beauty magazines affect you.

idiva